The Deck Lives!

At last, we are happy to report that the deck has been completed. To the left is a picture of the guys working in the extreme heat getting the job done. And then, the next day, James and Saylor are relaxing on the finished product. The room behind where James is sitting we call the "sun porch" and it is going to be leveled (it tilts a little now) and fitted with a new sliding door and windows. Little by little things are getting spruced up. It takes a lot of time and a lot of money! But we'll get there eventually.

Candlelight is Better

The other day, for no reason, my friend Sheri gave me the neatest gift: a frosted "jigger" glass with gold writing on it. Being from Florida, it was super special because as you can see, it says "Florida" on the glass. On the side it has postcard-like pictures that say Hialeah (I was born in Hialeah hospital) and Orange Bowl, and 'Wish you were here.' She suggested I put a tea light in it, and so I tried it and it looks really pretty. The next picture was taken in the entry area of a restaurant in Phoenix called Lon's. Really beautiful spot for dinner. As you walk up you can smell wood and sage burning in the chimineas. And speaking of chimineas, I like the one called Garden. Kinda looks like a witch's hat.

Hey Baby, it's the 4th of July

We had a really nice 4th. A lazy day that began with coffee and bagels at Cafe Italia. The neighborhood (Little Italy) was full of the usual Italians talking with their hands. They reminded me of my father. This is a picture of him about a year before he passed away; he was enjoying a Sicilian cigar on the porch. So, in Little Italy, everyone had on World Cup shirts for Italy or Germany. They were all gathered at the Princess Pub to watch the game which later earned the headline, "An Italian Job on Germany." I loved that headline, but of course it's not over yet! (**Update: Italy Won!!!**) As you can see in the picture with James at the Great wall, our yard is still a wasteland. But, the beautiful wall has everything secured land-wise, so we're thrilled about that. A good solid start. The picture of Oreo shows the other side of the wall. The poor boy has been sick literally since June 12th when he had a routine teeth cleaning that resulted in the removal of his top two canine teeth! It's been a slow recovery with occassional spats of feeling good. I think he's turned the corner though and should be back to his old self soon! In this picture he's giving his *new* cute smile. And how can you miss the hugest plate of pork ribs. A vegetarian's nightmare, but quite delicious if you like ribs. To divert us from the meat-fest, I made potato salad and baked beans. We, uh, made a few too many ribs. James got them at this great shop but you had to buy 3 racks. I ate 6 and James ate 10. We are gym-bound indefinitely. I'm not sure we're eating for the remainder of the week. And as if that were not enough to feed a WWF wrestler's appetite, the meal ended with Julian Apple pie a la whipped cream.